


Tell Her A Story (Tell Her The Honest Truth)

by KarinaMay



Series: DE Artfest [4]
Category: Detroit Evolution - Fandom, Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Detroit: Evolution
Genre: Ada and Gavin's awkward friendship, Background Markus/Simon, DE ArtFest, DEArtfest, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, RK family content, Wedding Fluff, also featuring:, and bad references, background Tina/Valerie, not-so-background Reed900
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25379968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarinaMay/pseuds/KarinaMay
Summary: Nines and Gavin wouldn't stop bothering Ada about whether she would be bringing a date to their wedding, so when Ada complains about it to North, her friend valiantly offers to come with her as her girlfriend, to get everyone off her back. The weekend seems to start out fine, despite Ada's worries, but as time goes on it becomes clearer to her that maybe bringing North as herfakedate wasn't her smartest idea.Written for day 23 of the #DEArtfest "fake dating" prompt.
Relationships: Ada (Detroit: Evolution)/North (Detroit: Become Human), Ada/North
Series: DE Artfest [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825684
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	Tell Her A Story (Tell Her The Honest Truth)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PrepSchoolAda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrepSchoolAda/gifts).



> Title from Echosmith's Tell Her You Love Her.
> 
> Header moodboard from Octopunkmedia's DEArtfest stream (I'm still emotional)

Ada pulled her car into the parking lot of the Starry Night Barn, mid afternoon on Friday. She’d been there once before, with Nines and Connor, about half a year ago to check out the location in person, but it couldn’t look more different. Back in November, when they’d made the drive up here, everything had been covered in a thick layer of fresh snow, giving the location a distinct winter wonderland feel. Now, the barn and surrounding fields were bathed in warm sunlight, wild flowers bloomed and birds were singing. It looked idyllic. Ada tried to ignore the nerves running through her system, making her thirium pump speed up. She looked over at North in the passenger seat.

“Ready?” North asked. She seemed quite relaxed - maybe even excited. 

“Let’s go over it one more time,” Ada said. “We’ve been dating for two months, we met volunteering at the night line.” 

“I asked you out because you’re a wimp,” North continued. “Our first date was at the zoo, our second we went to the beach. I haven’t met most of your family because I work two jobs and I’m hellishly busy, but I’m super excited to be here this weekend and meet everyone.”

Ada nodded. “Okay. Okay, yes.”

“Stop worrying, Ada,” North said. “We’ve got our story straight, and we have an entire weekend of fun ahead of us.”

“I know,” Ada sighed. “I just feel a little ridiculous for dragging you into this.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s terrible,” North said, gesturing at their surroundings. “Poor me. But hey, if pretending to be your date for the weekend gets your nosy brothers off your back, that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for a friend. But you do owe me for the rest of forever.” 

Ada laughed. “All right, fine. But seriously, thank you, North, you’re awesome.” 

“I know. Now come on, you can’t be late for your brother’s wedding preparations, I’m sure there’s tons of things that still need to be done.” 

They got out of the car and gathered their luggage from the back. It was a short walk from the parking lot down to the barn, and Ada could already hear some familiar voices down the path. North grabbed Ada’s hand and Ada jumped at the sudden contact. 

“Gotta make a good first impression, right?” North said, lacing their fingers together. 

“Right,” Ada replied, relaxing her hand. She wasn’t generally used to physical contact outside her family, but North’s hand in hers actually seemed to steady her nerves a bit now. 

Inside the barn they found a variety of friends, family, and barn personnel working on decorating the place. Nines, Connor and Chris were setting up folding chairs, Valerie was carrying around an armful of wild flowers, and Tina was sitting on Gavin’s shoulders, attaching a string of fairy lights in the corner near the door. 

“To the left a bit more, Gav,” Tina said, giggling. 

“Yeah, hold on, you’re not as light as you look, Teen,” Gavin replied. 

“Why are they making the shortest people do the lights?” Ada asked.

Gavin and Tina both turned to face Ada.

“Ada!” Tina said happily. “So good to see you! Gav, put me down so I can hug her.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Gavin said. He knelt down to let Tina off his shoulders, who hopped off with practised ease. 

Tina walked over to Ada, smiling widely, and pulled her into a hug. “It’s been too long, Ada. And you must be North.” 

North, who was still standing off to the side a bit, put on a small, shy smile. “Yes, that’s me. And you’re Tina, right? It’s really nice to meet you.” 

Gavin also hugged Ada shortly. “Good to see you, Ada,” he said, before also focussing his attention on North. “And welcome, North, nice to finally meet you. Ada’s told us frustratingly little about you, so I hope you’re prepared for a weekend full of curious people.”

North laughed. “I think I’ll manage,” she said. 

“You say that now,” Gavin said, “but I think here comes The Brother.” 

“What’s that, Gavin?” Nines asked, walking up to the four of them.

“Nothing, babe,” Gavin answered innocently. “Just that you were excited to meet North.”

“True,” Nines said, smiling at Ada and North. “Ada’s been very secretive. But we’re very happy to have you both here.” 

“I’m very happy to meet you all,” North said easily. “Ada did tell me heaps about all of you. That being said, you don’t seem as terrifying as her nerves would make you out to be.” 

Ada scowled at her, and North grinned, stepping up to hook her arm through Ada’s and give her a quick peck on the cheek. 

“I’m just teasing, babe,” North said. 

“Well, if you want to get settled in, Tina can show you to the cottage,” Nines said. “You’re sharing with her and Valerie.”

“It’s super cozy,” Tina said. “I’m sure you’ll love it.” 

As everyone returned to their duties, Ada and North followed Tina out of the barn. They took a right turn down another narrow, winding path, downhill to a field where two small cottages stand in the shade of the surrounding trees. 

“Gavin and Nines are in the log cabin. Connor, Hank and Chris have gracefully accepted their fate and are staying in the airstream down the path - though honestly it really looks a lot nicer than you’d expect,” Tina explained as they walked down. “And the stone cottage here is our little home for the next few days. Valerie and I took the downstairs bed, I hope that’s okay. She doesn’t want me to climb a ladder drunk in the middle of the night again.”

“That’s very specific,” North said, frowning. 

“Yeah, well, I broke my arm,” Tina said. “Though I maintain it was all Gavin’s fault.” 

“I don’t think this is a story I’ve heard,” Ada said. 

Tina laughed. “I’m sure there’s _many_ stories about Gavin and me that you haven’t heard, and it's probably better if you never do. Anyway, take all the time you need getting settled in, because as soon as you get back to the barn, Nines will put you to work.”

Tina jogged back up the hill. When she was out of sight North grinned.

“This is going to be so easy,” she said, smugly.

Ada had to agree. Everyone seemed to believe their act - which was probably largely thanks to North’s acting, and not so much her own. Her tension from earlier was starting to fade and finally felt a little excitement starting to appear at the coming weekend. 

“Is that a genuine smile I see?” North teased. 

“Shut it, North,” Ada said. 

***

Tina hadn’t been exaggerating about them being put to work. As soon as Ada and North returned to the barn, North was whisked away by Gavin to go help decorating outside, leaving Ada to the mercy of her two brothers. At least Markus wasn’t there yet - she wasn’t sure if she could handle being interrogated by all three of them at the same time. Nines showed Ada the little chart he’d made of how the interior was supposed to look, and Ada dutifully started assisting him and Connor carrying around furniture. They talked for a while about everything that still needed to be done, about Connor and Hank’s recent trip to Seattle, and about Nines and Gavin’s plans for their honeymoon travelling through Europe, before a short silence fell between the three of them.

“So North seems really nice,” Nines said then. 

“She’s very pretty,” Connor added. “You look good together.”

“Thanks,” Ada said. She was starting to blush, but she wasn’t sure entirely whether it was because she was lying to them or because of the compliment. “Please don’t be too hard on her this weekend.” 

“Us?” Connor asked. “We would never.”

“We’re just _curious_ ,” Nines said. “You’ve been dating this girl for two months and we’ve never even met her. And it’s not like you talk about her an awful lot either.” 

“Two months isn’t that long,” Ada said. “And Markus _has_ met her.” 

“That doesn’t count,” Connor said. “You three volunteer together at the nightline.” 

“Yeah, well, still,” Ada said, pretending to focus on symmetrically placing six folding chairs around one of the round tables. 

Markus had been the only hiccup in the fake dating plan. Ada and North usually worked at the nightline on the same nights, and had formed the habit of going for a midnight coffee together after their shifts were over. One night, about three months ago, Ada had been complaining very loudly about how her brother and his fiancé would not leave her alone about how she was coming to their wedding single. They’d just been teasing her, but Ada couldn’t stand the idea of that teasing continuing three more months until the wedding. It had been North’s idea for her to come along as her date. At first Ada had just laughed at the idea, but somehow, North had convinced her. _It’s a great idea! You get your family off your back, I get to enjoy a weekend of free partying. It’ll be fun!_

It had been quite easy to make up a story to Nines and Gavin, about how she’d started dating a girl from work, that she wasn’t sure yet whether it was too soon to ask her to come to the wedding. When Ada eventually asked whether it would still be okay if North came to the wedding with her, she was pretty sure they’d already counted on her presence. 

The only complication was that Markus had already known North. Ada had had to make up a bunch of amazing excuses just to make sure that she and North didn’t get scheduled on the same nights as Markus at the nightline between announcing they were ‘dating’ and the wedding, just to avoid getting caught. 

“Where is Markus anyway?” Ada asked. “Shouldn’t he be helping as well? Family effort and all that?” 

“He’s flying into Detroit tonight, he and Simon are driving up here after he lands, but they’ll probably be really late. I don’t think we’ll see them until tomorrow morning. They’re staying in an inn a couple miles down the road,” Connor answered. 

Ada had successfully shifted the topic of conversation away from her again, and soon they were talking about why Hank wasn’t there yet either - apparently Fowler didn’t like it when the entire DPD took a weekend off at the same time, even though he himself would be the one officiating the wedding - and about the other wedding guests. 

The afternoon flew by, setting up the furniture and lights for dinner inside the barn, and for the ceremony in the field outside. After the initial confrontation with Nines and Connor about her date, Ada felt much more at ease. She and North were separated for most of the day, but Ada quickly got used to the small moments they shared in passing, still mostly initiated by North. A hand brushing against hers, a peck on her cheek, an arm around her waist. Pretending to be a couple seemed to come very naturally to North, and Ada found she didn’t mind the attention much at all. 

It was still light when they gathered around the firepit located between the cottages. Valerie had cooked dinner for Tina, Gavin, Chris and herself. They all sat around the fire contently, watching as the sun slowly went down and fireflies started to appear, accompanied by a choir of crickets. 

North was leaning against Ada’s shoulder, sipping her thirium cocktail. 

“So how was your day?” she asked softly. “Did you survive your brothers?” 

Ada smiled. “It was good. And kind of fun, really. I was nervous at first, but after that I realized I’d kind of missed them. I hadn’t seen them a lot the past couple of weeks. How was your day?” 

“Super chill,” North answered. “Tina, Valerie and Chris are all super nice, and Gavin really isn’t as grumpy as you made him out to be.”

Ada chuckled. “Trust me, he usually is. It’s probably just because you simply can’t be in a bad mood when you’re getting married, or something.” 

“I dunno if that’s true,” North said. “You hear all kinds of terrifying stories about people being feral on their wedding days. But Gavin seems chill. And so does Nines.” 

“Nines has been stressing about it for months,” Ada said. “But I think he finally realized he did actually think of everything so he’s more relaxed now. Plus, if anyone’s excited about getting married, it’s him.” 

“Who asked who?” North asked, looking over at where Gavin and Nines were sitting across the campfire. Gavin was leaning against Nines’ shoulder, mirroring their own position.

“Gavin asked Nines,” Ada said, smiling at the memory. “I think literally everyone knew before Nines did; Gavin was so nervous he told everyone his plan to make sure it wasn’t too soon. He called me about a week before he was going to do it - I was immediately worried since he’d never called me before - to ask me whether I thought Nines would say yes.” 

_Ada I need you to be brutally honest with me._

_What is it, Gavin?_

_If I propose to Nines, do you think he’ll say yes?_

_Seriously, Gavin?_

_Just fucking tell me, Ada._

_Of course he’ll say yes. He loves you more than anything. Don’t ask me why, but I don’t think there’s anything he wants more than spend the rest of his life with you. So stop talking to me about it and go ask him, you coward._

_Well that was uncalled for._

_I think you needed to hear it._

_I did. Fuck. Thanks Ada._

*** 

Ada woke up from stasis early in the morning. She’d set a mental alarm at seven, as she’d promised Tina she’d help her prepare breakfast for the humans. North was next to her in bed, eyes closed, LED blue and spinning slowly, still in stasis. She looked peaceful. The early morning sunlight illuminated her face and hair, showing off a couple of freckles, and bringing out the red tones in her hair. Ada knew that North was beautiful - anyone with eyes could see that - but this sight was something else. Ada resisted the sudden urge to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and quickly got out of bed. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a white T-shirt, put her hair up in a ponytail and climbed down the ladder. 

Tina was in the kitchen, still in her pajamas, staring intently at the coffeemaker. 

“Does it go faster if you look at it harder?” Ada asked, leaning against the counter. 

“I can try, right?” Tina replied. She turned to Ada and smiled sleepily. “Morning, by the way. Did you sleep well? Or have a productive stasis? However that works.” 

“Yes, it was quite nice,” Ada said, smiling back. “How about you?” 

“Amazing,” Tina said. “I freakin’ love this place. I almost never leave the city and I forget how much I love being in the countryside. Reminds me of being a kid. Makes me sleep like a baby, too.” 

“So, tell me what to do for this breakfast situation,” Ada said. 

Tina grinned. “Right, let’s do this.” 

The rest of the morning was a whirlwind again. This time Ada was on duty with North and Simon - who’d only just arrived - to make up the tables in the barn with handwritten name cards, glasses, and plates, cutlery and napkins for the human guests. Most tables were split evenly with humans and androids, which Ada suspected to be Nines’ idea, and she was relieved to find that she and North were at least seated with people she already knew, namely Connor, Hank, Chris, and Chloe. Chloe was one of Connor’s best friends, and though Ada had only seen her a handful of times in passing, she seemed very sweet. 

It was around two in the afternoon when the humans had lunch, that Ada and North had a moment to themselves. They walked hand in hand, down one of the narrow paths into the field where the ceremony would take place the next day. When they reached the fence, North let go of her hand and climbed on top of it, sitting down and looking back at the barn. Ada sat down next to her. 

“Sorry for the amount of manual labor,” Ada said. “I know you signed up for a ‘weekend of fun’.”

“Hey, I’m having loads of fun!” North replied, nudging her shoulder, and she laced their fingers together between them, resting their hands on the wood together. 

“You don’t have to do that, there’s no one here,” Ada said, looking down pointedly and silently cursing the person who’d thought it would be a good idea if androids could blush.

“What if someone comes down the path?” North asked. “Unless it makes you uncomfortable, of course.” 

“No, no, it’s fine,” Ada said quickly. “I just don’t want you to feel like you have to be in character all the time, you know.” 

“It’s not that difficult,” North said. 

Another rush of heat went straight to Ada’s cheeks.

“We should probably head back soon,” Ada said. “I’m sure there’s at least ten more things for us to do left on Nines’ list.” 

“Hang on,” North said, and she lightly squeezed Ada’s hand. “Let’s stay another couple of minutes, it’s nice and quiet here, and the view is gorgeous. I think we’re allowed to enjoy that for a moment.” 

***

That evening, when all remaining chores had finally been checked off of Nines’ list - or rather, when everyone else decided that they had been checked off - Ada, Connor and Markus dragged Nines away from the campfire, and to one of the more distant fields on the property, where the four of them lay down in the grass to watch the stars come out. 

“Nervous?” Markus asked.

“Yes,” Nines admitted. “I know everything will probably be fine, but I am a bit anxious.” 

“I think that’s normal,” Connor said. “But you’ve got nothing to worry about. Except maybe that you’re spending the rest of his life together with a grumpy, scruffy looking police detective with a caffeine and nicotine addiction, but I’m pretty sure you’re okay with that.” 

“I don’t think you’re allowed to judge that decision, Connor,” Markus said. 

“I’m well aware,” Connor said. “Like I said, nothing to worry about, Nines.” 

“And if any problem does appear, we’ll make sure it’s solved before you ever hear about it,” Ada added. 

“Thank you,” Nines said softly. “I’m really glad you’re all here. I know we haven’t all known each other for the longest time, but I do really consider you my family.”

“We are,” Ada said. 

“Speaking of family,” Markus said. “Ada, how come I work with you and North both, and I had to hear from Connor that you two are dating?” 

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen you in a while!” Ada said defensively. 

“You have my interface!” 

Ada groaned - a very human reaction she must’ve picked up from Gavin. “Maybe I’m just bad at talking about it.” 

Her brothers all laughed and Ada hit Markus and Nines in the arm, since they were the ones could reach. 

“At least she’s willing to spill the beans,” Connor said. “She told me all about your first date today, it sounds adorable. I can’t believe you took her to the zoo, that seems so… soft for you.” 

“I like animals,” Ada said. “Plus they give you something to talk about.” 

“It sounded like she mostly had eyes for you that day,” Connor said. 

Ada was blushing again. It was happening so often now it was starting to become slightly ridiculous. 

“She seems to really like you,” Nines agreed. 

“And you her,” Markus added. “I didn’t know you could stare at someone so hard.” 

“What - I don’t - what are you talking about? I don’t stare!” Ada sputtered. 

They laughed at her again. 

“Sure, you don’t,” Markus said. “You just look at her lovingly for long periods of time.” 

Did she really? Ada went back over the past day. There had been the moment before North had woken up when Ada might’ve looked at her a little too long. And now that she was thinking about it, she may have also watched very intently for a while when North had been balancing on a ladder, attaching the ropes of a swing to a tree branch. But she had looked ridiculously pretty in the filtered sunlight. The cut off dungarees she’d worn showed off her legs that went on for days, and she’d still had a couple of daisies stuck in her long, messily braided hair. Ada had jokingly gifted her the flowers earlier and North had put them in there and probably forgotten about them. 

“Earth to Ada,” Markus said, chuckling. 

“What?” Ada asked, a bit dazed. 

Connor snorted. “Perfect.” 

“I like North,” Nines said, thoughtfully. “She seems good for you.” 

“She must be pretty special, if she makes you lose your snark,” Markus added. 

“She is special.” The words left Ada’s mouth before she’d fully processed their meaning. 

“Aw,” Connor said. “On that wholesome note, we should probably get back. It’s getting pretty late and everyone else is probably already asleep.”

They walked back to the cottages, where they did indeed find the firepit already abandoned. On the way, Ada tried to make sense of her thoughts and feelings, and tried not to panic as she arrived at the only logical conclusion. She wished her brothers good night and stood outside the door of the stone cottage for a moment, steadying her thirium pump. It was fine. Everything was fine. She just had a crush on her fake crush. 

***

The next morning was surprisingly calm. Ada woke up from stasis a little before North again, and took some time to enjoy a cup of thirium tea on the patio before her duties of the day started. They were basically going to do a house switch. Ada would go over to the log cabin where she, Connor and Markus would help Nines get ready, while Gavin would be hanging out and changing in the stone cottage with Tina and Chris. North, Valerie and Simon had offered to make one less round around the barn to check everything, and play host to anyone that might be arriving early. They had hours before the wedding - the ceremony was set to start at two. 

It was around ten when Gavin showed up on the patio, half asleep and still dressed in gym shorts and some kind of sleeveless hoodie, carrying his suit in a bag over his shoulder. 

“Morning Ada,” he said. “Connor and Markus kicked me out.” 

Ada chuckled. “I think you mean they took out the trash.”

“Rude as ever,” Gavin said, and he grinned at her. “You should go over there, they might need an adult.” 

Ada got up from her chair. “You’re probably right. I’ll go get my things. I’m pretty sure Tina’s awake.” 

“I smell coffee,” Gavin said in agreement. 

He followed her inside, and went into the kitchen, where he and Tina shared a few unintelligible words that no one else would understand but them, after which they both sat down at the table with large mugs of coffee, not saying anything, but clearly content with each others’ company.

Ada smiled at the sight, and then turned and climbed up the ladder to the attic. 

North had apparently woken from stasis as well, and was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was in the process of slowly detangling her long hair, and turned when she heard Ada come up.

“Good morning,” North said, smiling. 

Something in Ada’s biocomponents seemed to make a backflip. “Hey,” she managed. 

“Excited?” North asked, turning back to the task of brushing her hair. 

“Yes,” Ada answered. “I’m going over to make sure my brothers don’t do something irreversibly stupid now. I’m not sure I’ll see you again before the ceremony.” 

“That’s okay,” North said. “They probably need you more than I do right now. Plus you can be just as shocked at how pretty I look as Nines and Gavin will when _they_ first see each other.” 

“Right,” Ada said. She went and grabbed her stuff from the small closet, not looking at North. “I’ll see you later then.” 

“Have fun,” North called after her, as Ada climbed back down the ladder. 

Ada poked her head around the kitchen door again. Gavin and Tina already looked slightly more awake, and they were reminiscing about their school years. 

“See you on the other side, Gavin,” Ada said. 

The mood in the log cabin was decidedly more nervous. Connor was outside on the patio making a call to Hank, who was apparently stuck in traffic somewhere, and Ada could see Nines pacing in the living room through the window. She pushed through the door and Nines nearly walked right into her. 

“Good morning,” Ada said. “You look about as calm and collected as I expected.” 

Nines scowled. “Getting married is nerve wracking, all right.” 

“Gavin seemed pretty calm,” Ada said. “Now sit down. I’m going to make you some thirium tea, you’re going to drink it, and you’re going to tell me what’s bothering you so we can solve it.” 

Nines reluctantly sank down on the couch, and Ada dumped the bag with her suit over a chair before walking into the kitchen to prepare a pot of tea. When she returned to the living room, Markus had joined Nines on the couch. Ada poured them all a cup of the thirium earl grey she’d made and sat down across from Nines.

“So, are you just generally nervous, or is something wrong?” She asked. 

“I don’t know,” Nines answered. “I scanned my systems three times already, and I can’t find anything wrong, but I keep feeling jittery.”

“Wedding nerves might be too deviant for your systems to recognize, Nines,” Markus said, patting his knee. “But I don’t think they’re something you need to worry about.”

“Then why is Gavin so calm?” Nines asked, sounding frustrated. 

“I’m sure he’s going to be dying on the inside soon,” Ada said. “He was still mostly asleep when he walked in, but when he’s had his morning dose of caffeine he’ll probably be more nervous than you."

Nines sank back into the couch. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous. There’s nothing to be nervous about. I love Gavin and I know he loves me. That’s all that should matter today, right?” 

“Did I ever tell you that Gavin called me before he proposed to you?” Ada asked. 

Nines shook his head, surprised. 

“It was a week before he actually asked you,” Ada said. “I was really worried when he called, because he had never called me before, so I thought something bad might’ve happened. He was so terrified you might say no he had to ask me - and several others - first if we thought you’d say yes. I told him he was being a coward and that he should get over himself and just ask you.” 

“That sounds like something you’d say,” Nines said, half-smiling. 

“Point is, you’re right,” Ada said. “You two love each other. More than anything. I don’t think I’ll ever meet two people that are more perfect for each other. That _is_ all that matters today, and all you should be focussing on.” 

Nines nodded and took a sip from his tea. He seemed to relax a bit, though Ada suspected they might need a few more pep talks in the coming hours to keep him that way. 

They got ready at a very slow pace, joking around and chatting away about random stuff to make sure Nines’ mind stayed occupied enough not to get too stressed again, but they were still ready quite early. 

Nines wore a white suit with a black button up, the opposite of what Gavin would be wearing. Ada herself wore a light blue suit, matching the color of Connor and Markus’ dress shirts. They looked very much like a family, and the thought made Ada feel weirdly proud as they all stood gathered around the small mirror to look at themselves. 

***

Ada, Connor and Markus rushed to the barn with Tina and Chris, ahead of Nines and Gavin, after having delivered Nines to the stone cottage where he and Gavin got to see each other for just a bit before the ceremony. They made their way to the front row where they all found their seats. Ada stopped in her tracks for a split second when she saw North. She was wearing a bright blue wrap dress, she’d curled her long hair, and a small braid ran across her head, decorated with daisies like the day before. She looked like someone straight from a fairytale. 

Ada struggled for a moment to get her system priorities back in order and prioritize Nines’ and Gavin’s wedding ceremony over just staring at North for the rest of the day. She walked over and sat down in her chair next to North, who grinned at her.

“Well don’t you look gorgeous,” North said, her eyes running Ada up and down. 

“You look really nice, too,” Ada blurted. “Very pretty.” 

North chuckled. 

“Pick your jaw up off the floor,” Connor whispered, nudging Ada’s side. “They’re coming.”

Everyone rose from their seats again and they turned to watch Nines and Gavin approach together. Soft music played in the background, mixing in with the sound of the summer breeze rustling through the leaves of the tree at the end of the isle. 

“Are you gonna cry?” North whispered in Ada’s ear, as Gavin and Nines made their way down the isle. 

Ada lightly elbowed her in the side. 

The music ebbed away as Nines and Gavin came to a standstill underneath the tree, turning to each other. Captain Fowler - the closest to a father figure either of them had - was to officiate their union.

“Welcome family, friends, and loved ones,” Fowler started. “We gather here today to celebrate the wedding of Gavin Reed and Nines. You’ve come here to share in the commitment they’ve chosen to make, to offer your love and support to this union, and to allow Gavin and Nines to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them. I have to admit I was surprised when Gavin asked me to officiate their marriage, but it is an absolute honor to do so today.” 

“People sometimes like to call marriage a challenge, but I personally believe that a marriage between the right people is more like an adventure. An opportunity to learn, to grow, to laugh and cry, and to evolve together. This ceremony today will witness and affirm the choice you both make committing to those things together.”

“Will you, Gavin Reed, take this man to be your wedded husband?” 

“I will.”

Ada slid her hand over North’s without thinking, fitting her fingers between hers. 

“Will you, Nines, take this man to be your wedded husband?” 

“I will.”

Fowler nodded. “We’ve come to the point of the ceremony where you’ll be saying your vows to one another.”

“Nines,” Gavin started, voice already cracking. “Nines, I’ve told you all of this before, on one of the worst days of my life. When we met, I was the absolute god damn worst to you. I thought you were just another piece of plastic there to ruin my day. I couldn’t _see_. You stuck with me, through all the horrible shit I said. You didn’t let it get to you, gave as good as you got. Eventually I stopped being an ass because I meant it, but did it just because it’s what we did. What we still do. You changed my life, you showed me how wrong I was. You see the worst sides of me and love me regardless and I never thought that would be possible. So I promise today to do the same. To love you on your bad days, even if you try and pretend you don’t have those. I promise to talk to you even when it’s hard. I promise not to make fun of your weird siblings too often, and I promise not to mess up your perfectly organized filing system. At least on purpose. And I promise to love you for as long as I can. I love you, Nines.”

Ada was blinking rapidly, silently cursing the invention of android tear ducts. 

Nines eyes were also shining, but he was smiling widely as he began to speak. “Gavin. Detective. When I was going to write these vows, I kept thinking about the first night we hung out together. We watched iRobot, which was an attempt at a joke on your side, I think, but you also told me I had to figure out what I wanted to be. Markus may have made me deviant, but you’re the one who showed me what being alive truly means. You’re the first person that truly made me feel. Anger, frustration, confusion at first. But then joy, and love. What it’s like to care, to want and protect, beyond reason. It isn’t enough to say you _changed_ my life, because, Gavin, you _shaped_ it. I promise to try and make your life as wonderful and fulfilling as you make mine every day, just by being yourself. I promise to hold you through the night any time you need me to - as well as on the nights you say you don’t. I promise to feed your cat when you forget, and to always be there to grab things from the top shelf so you don’t have to climb on the counter. I promise to love you every day. The good ones, the bad ones, and the ones in between.”

By the time Nines was done talking, Gavin was crying silent tears. The way they looked at each other like they were each others’ entire world, made Ada wonder whether there had ever been two people who loved each other more than them. She gave up her silent struggle against her rising emotions, and allowed her own tears to flow as well. North softly squeezed her hand and rested her head on Ada’s shoulder. 

“May I have the rings, please?” Fowler asked, looking over at Connor, who got up quickly to hand the small box to his captain. 

Gavin and Nines exchanged rings, the skin on Nines’ hand retracting when Gavin slid the platinum band around his finger. 

“By the power of your love and commitment, and the power vested in me, I pronounce you duly married. You may kiss each other.” 

Nines leant down to kiss Gavin as the small crowd erupted into applause. Ada looked around and thankfully found herself not the only one crying. Chris was wiping his eyes with sleeve of his jacket, Connor’s eyes were glistening, and Tina’s mascara was running down her face. 

***

It was after dinner that the party really picked up. Most of the human guests were starting to feel the effects of the alcohol that had been served with their dinner, and most of the android guests were used to drunk humans enough to just go with their flow. As the waiting staff started clearing the tables, the guests followed Nines and Gavin outside to where they’d laid out a dance floor, where the newlyweds had their first dance to Come To Me by the Goo Goo Dolls - a song North guessed to be Nines’ choice, but Ada highly suspected to be Gavin’s. It took a minute before other people started joining them on the dance floor. 

“Come on,” North said, grabbing hold of Ada’s hand.

Before Ada had the chance to accept, North had already dragged her onto the dancefloor, and spun Ada easily into her arms. As it turned out, North was an exceptional dancer, and Ada let herself be led around the space, surrendering all control to her far superior partner. She forgot track of time, stopped hearing the songs, and forgot the people around her. All Ada saw was North. Ada had no idea how much time had passed when they stopped dancing, and their surroundings came crashing back around them. Before they stepped away from each other, before Ada could really process anything that was happening, North leant in and kissed her softly on the lips. She thought she might explode. 

“You don’t have to do that,” Ada whispered. 

“Maybe I wanted to,” North replied softly. 

Ada felt like all her systems were crashing. She had no idea how to deal with this, no preset programming for how to react. “I should - go check in with my family,” she said hesitantly. 

An emotion Ada couldn’t identify crossed over North’s face. “Yes, of course.” 

Ada took her hands off of North’s waist, and spun around, desperately trying to find a person near her she could flee to. She was surprised but eternally grateful when she saw Gavin standing on the edge of the dance floor talking to Chris while Nines was apparently occupied dancing with Tina. Ada walked over quickly and tapped Gavin’s shoulder.

“A dance with the brother in law?” Ada asked, trying to sound casual. 

Gavin grinned. “Sure.” 

They moved onto the dancefloor together, dancing a lot more goofily and less coordinated than Ada had with North a moment ago, but it felt like a welcome change. Less charged. 

“Gavin I need your help,” Ada said sofly, after a moment. 

Gavin frowned. “You’re coming to me for advice now? I’m not sure if I should be flattered or fucking terrified.” 

Ada rolled her eyes. “Listen, I don’t really know how else to explain this, but I think I might actually like North. Like like.”

“Yeah, duh,” Gavin replied. “That much is obvious, probably even to a blind person.”

“No, no, you don’t get it,” Ada said hastily. “Look - ugh - okay, this is going to sound terrible. North isn’t actually my date this weekend. She came with me because you guys wouldn’t stop asking me whether I would have a date and I got sick of it.” 

Gavin’s eyes widened almost comically. “You brought a _fake_ date to our wedding?!”

“Quiet!” Ada hushed. “But yes, oh rA9 yes, I actually did that. And now I’m crushing on her. What the fuck do I do, Gavin?” 

“I… honestly don’t have a clue,” Gavin answered. “All I can say is: either North is into you as well, or she’s a spectacular actress. She wouldn’t shut up about you the past days whenever you weren’t around. You should just talk to her.”

“What if I mess things up?” Ada asked. “She’s like the only friend I made by myself. Not because she’s ‘part of the family’, or a friend of a friend, but because I liked hanging out with her. What if I talk to her and she’s horrified.”

Gavin managed to make shrugging look like a dance move. “Nines and I were friends before we got together. After we hated each other. It was a process, as you know. If there’s anything I’ve learnt being with Nines, it’s that being honest usually pays out more than keeping things to yourself.”

Ada groaned. “Since when are you good at advice, you’re supposed to be an asshole.”

“Right,” Gavin said. “Fucking hell, Ada, get off your ass and go tell that girl you’re into her, because she very clearly has been making heart eyes to you all weekend. I don’t care how good an actress she might think she is but she’s not _that_ good. So go fucking find her and do whatever it is you plastic people do when you clearly want each other. Better?”

Ada couldn’t help but snort. “Kind of. Strangely still good advice though, I feel like my brother might be rubbing off on you.”

Gavin sighed. “I know. Regardless, get the fuck away from me and go find your fake, potentially real girlfriend.”

***

Ada scanned the dancefloor, but didn’t see North anywhere. She walked over to Tina, who was still dancing with Nines. 

“Have either of you seen North?” Ada asked.

“I saw her walking down the path to the cottages a three minutes ago,” Nines said. 

“Thanks Nines,” Ada said. 

“Are you two all right?” Nines asked. He looked concerned. 

“We’re fine,” Ada said. “Besides, you’re not allowed to worry today, remember?”

Nines smiled and nodded. “You better hurry back though, I still haven’t danced with my sister.”

Ada promised to be back soon, and then quickly made her way through the crowd, dodging the dancing guests and taking the path down to the cottages. She could see North sitting on the patio when she reached the clearing; she’d occupied the rocking chair and was sipping a thirium cocktail she must’ve taken with her from the bar. Ada tried her best to ignore the fear building in her chest and walked down to the cottage. 

“What are you doing here all by yourself?” Ada asked, trying to sound casual. 

“I don’t know, Ada,” North said. “I don’t know why I’m here.”

Ada hesitated on the edge of the patio. “What do you mean?” 

“Maybe coming here was a stupid idea,” North said softly. “I mean, it _was_ a stupid idea from the start, but then the past couple of days I thought maybe it wasn’t. Turns out I was wrong.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Remember when I proposed to come here?” North asked, her eyes steady on Ada’s. 

“Of course,” Ada answered. “I was annoyed by Nines and Gavin’s persistent questions about my non existent love life. You offered to help.”

North leaned forward in her chair, leaning her elbows on her knees and resting her face in her hands. “I’m so fucking stupid. Ada, for the love of rA9, pull up that memory file.”

“Why -”

“Just do it, Ada!”

Ada did as she was told and pulled the file from her memory, playing it back as North watched her. 

***

_It was 1am on Thursday night, and Ada and North were sitting in their usual booth in the diner on the corner of Palmer and Cass, nursing their traditional post-shift thirium coffees. Ada checked her messages from earlier that night and groaned._

_“Don’t tell me,” North said. “It’s one of your brothers.”_

_“Nines again,” Ada replied. “He and Gavin won’t stop hounding me about bringing a date to their wedding I swear to rA9 if they ask me one more time I might just not go at all.”_

_North snorted. “I’m sure they just want you to find someone to be happy with. Although you’ve told me enough about Gavin that I might believe he_ would _do it to annoy you.”_

_“No, you’re right,” Ada said. “They probably do really just mean well, but I wish they would stop asking so I don’t have to say no every time.”_

_“You could say yes the next time they ask,” North said._

_Ada snorted. “How would that work, I say yes and then I’ll have to make up a non existent date for their wedding, and show up alone after all?”_

_“I could be your date,” North said casually._

_“What?”_

_“I could be your date to the wedding,” North repeated._

_“Why would you want to do that,” Ada asked, confused. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the gesture, I think, but I can’t expect you to pretend to be my date and spend an entire weekend in the middle of nowhere just to get my family off my back.”_

_North smiled, but there was another emotion in her eyes for a split second, one that Ada couldn’t place, before it disappeared again. “Sure you can. It’ll be like a short weekend holiday with a friend. It’s a great idea! You get your family off your back, I get to enjoy a weekend of free partying. It’ll be fun! "_

_“You’d really do that?”_

_“If it’ll make you happy.”_

_***_

“I never said the word ‘fake’, Ada,” North said, face still hidden behind her hands and hair. 

Ada was trying to process an abundance of new information. Information that conflicted wildly with her own beliefs, but affirmed some of the things Gavin had just implied. 

“I didn’t think you liked me like that,” Ada said, then.

North looked up, smiling sadly. “I know you didn’t. I tried not to, I really did. You showed up at work one day and I was immediately awestruck. I didn’t think I’d be able to talk to you, but it turned out that you were actually super easy to talk to. That we got along really well, liked the same things, felt the same things about the world. We became friends, and I tried my best to let go of any other feelings I had for you. But then you complained about the wedding and I couldn’t help but offer a ‘solution’. Except you thought I meant to pretend. So I thought clearly you didn’t feel the same. But then the past couple of days I thought maybe you did, after all.”

Ada resisted the urge to bash her own head against the wall. “I’m an idiot, North. It never occured to me you might have feelings for me. I guess I didn’t think I was worthy of them.”

“Why would you ever think that, Ada?” North asked, finally looking up. 

“You’re so… beyond me,” Ada said. “You’re never fazed by anything, even with everything you’ve been through, and I - I’m still just trying to figure out what it is exactly I’m feeling half the time.”

“I think that goes for most of us,” North said. 

Ada took a tentative step toward North. “I think I figured out how I feel about you, though. I’m sorry it took so long.” 

North got up out of the chair. “So tell me.”

“I don’t know how to say it well,” Ada started. “But the past couple of days with you the world just seemed so much brighter. My systems seem to crash every time you touch me, but it makes me feel safe at the same time. You’re amazing in every way.”

They were barely a foot away from each other now. North smiled and lifted her hand to cup Ada’s cheek. 

“I think you said that pretty well,” North whispered. 

North leaned in and kissed Ada again, but it felt entirely different than before. Whereas before she’d just giving her a soft peck, North now pressed against her, wrapping her arms tightly around Ada’s neck, angling her head to deepen the kiss immediately. Ada slid her arms around North’s waist, hands grabbing onto the soft fabric of her dress to keep herself steady, since her knees felt like they might give out. Her head was spinning, trying to process what was happening, but all Ada could really focus on was North. Her warmth, her soft lips, her hands now wound in Ada’s hair, pulling slightly. The familiar scent of her lemony perfume, the apple-like taste of the thirium cocktail on her tongue. 

The kiss could’ve lasted forever, and Ada would’ve been perfectly happy, but it was North who finally broke the moment again.

“We should head back,” she said softly, leaning her forehead against Ada’s. “Your family is probably wondering where you are.” 

“You’re right,” Ada said. “I hate it, but you’re right.”

North chuckled. “Come on.”

The walked back up the path to the barn together, hand in hand, North’s head rested on Ada’s shoulder. When the dancefloor appeared into view, Ada suddenly stopped. 

“Oh rA9,” she said, suddenly mortified. “I told Gavin we’re not really dating.”

“Why’d you do that?” North asked, looking up. 

“I panicked!” Ada said. “They must all think I’m an idiot.” 

“In their defense, you kind of are,” North said. “But hey, you don’t know if Gavin even told them.” 

“Of course he did, he’s an asshole,” Ada said, though without much conviction.

North shrugged. “Well, you can’t hide from them forever.” She pulled Ada’s hand, taking her with her back into the crowd of wedding guests. Nines was the first one who spotted them.

“There you are,” Nines said. “Where have you been? I was starting to worry.” 

“Don’t ask, Nines!” Tina said, swooping by with Valerie in her arms. “You probably don’t wanna know the answer.”

“I needed to get away from the crowd a bit,” North replied. “Sorry if I occupied your sister for too long.”

Nines smiled. “Not to worry, North. But she does owe me a dance, if you’ll allow it.”

“Of course.”

Ada caught a glimpse of Gavin behind Nines. He looked between her and North, and then grinned and gave her a small thumbs up. He looked infuriatingly smug. Ada rolled her eyes at him, and gave North a quick kiss on the cheek before following Nines onto the dancefloor. 

“I’m glad we finally got to meet North,” Nines said, as they started dancing. “You seem very happy, Ada. It’s nice to see.” 

“I am. Thank you Nines. I don’t think I’ve properly said it yet, but I’m also very happy for you and Gavin. This really is the happy ending you both deserve.”

“I prefer to see it as a happy beginning,” Nines countered. “A start of a new phase after all the twists and turns we went through to get to this point.”

Ada smiled.

“Though you’re really coming for our level of complicated considering the fact that you _pretended to date North for months and somehow failed to recognize you actually wanted to date her._ ”

Ada felt a rush of heat go to her cheeks and cursed. “I’m going to kill Gavin!”

“Not on our wedding day!” Nines protested, feigning horror. “By all means, yell at him tomorrow, though. He promised me he wouldn’t tell anyone else. Not even Tina. And I promise not to tell anyone else either.”

Ada hid her face against his shoulder for a second. “I’m such an idiot.” 

“Yes, you really are,” Nines agreed. “But who knows, maybe it’ll make a good story for _your_ wedding someday.”

“Shut it!”

Nines laughed. “All right, go find your previously-fake-but-now-real girlfriend and dance with her. As fun as it is to torment you from time to time, today is all about love.”

“Anyone ever told you you’re a sap, Nines?” 

“It’s my wedding day, I can be a sap!”

Ada shoved him lightly, before pulling him back into a quick hug. “Yes you can.” 

***

They spent the rest of the night dancing, talking and laughing. Ada didn’t leave North’s side again after her dance with Nines. They danced, held hands, had their arms around each others’ waists, always touching one way or another. More and more wedding guests left the ground to go to their respective sleeping accommodations, until they were once again left with the core people they had started the weekend with, with the addition of Hank. 

They were sprawled out in the grass together in a tangle of limbs, formal jackets thrown aside, sleeves rolled up, high heels discarded. They were quiet for the most part, enjoying each others’ company. 

Ada was sitting with her back against Nines’ back. North lying with her head in Ada’s lap, eyes closed as Ada braided a new chain of daisies into her hair. Ada couldn’t see Gavin, who was nearly asleep sitting against Nines’ chest, but she could just make out his soft mumbling over the sound of rustling leaves in the morning breeze and the soft tones of Markus playing what sounded like a lullaby on his guitar. 

Ada finished braiding, but continued stroking North’s hair and she leaned her head back against her brother’s shoulder, watching as the sky slowly turned from dark blue to purple to pink. As the sun rose, announcing the start of another perfect summer’s day, Ada wondered if she’d ever felt this happy and peaceful before. She couldn’t help but smile. Nines had been right, it was indeed a happy beginning. 

**Author's Note:**

> So. This was a long one. If you made it through this to the end, congrats? I think? This has to be the sappiest piece of fic I've ever written.
> 
> I spent approximately half a day trying to find a wedding venue in Michigan to base this off of, so if you're curious how much of a cheesy sap I am: you can actually find the Starry Night Barn on instagram - it's an entirely real place. 
> 
> This is probably where I'm signing off from the Artfest, as far as fanfic is concenred, but I've enjoyed writing a couple of pieces for it a lot.
> 
> I'd love to see you for my other fics in the future. 
> 
> -X


End file.
